The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Unions as a Higher Form of Capitalism

Posted on | January 26, 2010 | 13 Comments

by Smitty

As a squid, I’m conditioned to see a union as mutiny awaiting its moment. That viewpoint neglects the historical truth that workers have been exploited historically in the US, and continue to be exploited in sweatshops around the world.

Furthermore, it gets hard to preclude people expressing themselves without becoming a cure worse than the disease. If folks want to organize, why not? Let them pay dues, form and organization, hire a bunch of bureaucrats, and let that organization become a de facto temp agency, marketing full time equivalents (FTEs) as a product. Is that not a fair depiction of what’s happened in the US the last century?

All that is said to indicate the author’s bias, while making a reasoned attempt to be fair. The Las Vegas Badger points to a story where an 80 year old volunteer is brushed aside from conducting a simple task:

The volunteer is an 80 year old man who helps kids cross the street. He probably lives in the neighborhood and cares about his neighborhood and community. As an 80 year old, he probably has the time to spend watching the children.
But to the union, this not good enough. Apparently, they they think only a card carrying union goon could do the job. Then the city will have to pay the extra money to hire someone to do the job.
The city correctly points out that there is no crossing guard needed, that the gentlemen is a volunteer and that it is a school district issue.
The union doesn’t agree with the city’s decision and is appealing the City of Wausau decision.

It happens that I’ve actually taken an introductory course in Defense Acquisition. While the casual observer might think that ‘lowest bidder’ might mean ‘lowest dollar cost’, the concept of ‘lowest’ can be sliced a few ways for non-trivial projects.

Helping kids across the street, however, is a trivial project.

When viewed from the vantage of a labor market, though, the story takes on greater irony. You have blatant age discrimination at work. The union’s desire to give everyone a job, irrespective of actual economic gain, can be termed make-work bias. The administration, far more efficient than that, just creates job numbers via ‘rectal pluck’.

Some readers of this blog view unions positively. As noted above, there is nothing intrinsically wrong with unions as such. It’s a business model. People contribute their dues, like and hope to receive a benefit in the future.  Best wishes on that, if the union’s accountant was named ‘Judas’. Ah, but government as business is as dysfunctional as officers behaving as enlisted:

Often under veils of illegal secrecy, public-sector unions and their political allies are systematically looting the public treasury with gold-plated pensions, jeopardizing the finances of state and local governments around the country, removing themselves from legal accountability, and doing it all in the name of humble working men and women just looking for their fair share. Government employees have turned themselves into a coddled class that lives better than its private-sector counterpart, and with more impunity. The public’s servants have become our masters.

A politician running for office on the campaign promise of load-shedding public-sector unions would find a welcome audience.  Unlike the private sector, there is scant historical evidence of the government abusing workers.  Also, these are civil servants.  In the military, wearing the uniform is viewed as both a privilege and a sacrifice.  I’ve met hard-working, dedicated civil servants at local and national levels.  So I wouldn’t go making negative generalizations about individuals.  But the empirical evidence is that civil servant unions, at any level of government, are a self-licking ice cream cone.

In summary, the notion of “government as business”, from the elderly gentlemen helping kids get to school to the POTUS, is fraught with economic peril.

Paco has a related note.

Category: Unions

Comments

13 Responses to “Unions as a Higher Form of Capitalism”

  1. I.B. Wright
    January 26th, 2010 @ 2:45 pm

    yeah, unions are a higher form of capitalism just like secularism is a higher form of spirituality

  2. I.B. Wright
    January 26th, 2010 @ 2:45 pm

    yeah, unions are a higher form of capitalism just like secularism is a higher form of spirituality

  3. I.B. Wright
    January 26th, 2010 @ 9:45 am

    yeah, unions are a higher form of capitalism just like secularism is a higher form of spirituality

  4. The HillBuzz Guys
    January 26th, 2010 @ 10:17 am

    […] The whole focus is on control, censureship and centralization of information. It’s not very different in some respects from the White House’s insistence that it be the one valid government portal for Haiti relief, whatever the merits or demerits of USAID might be. Whether its effectively disbursed is secondary to the fact that it’s disbursed by the agencies that are chosen to represent the White House as emblem of the American people, and this is why it’s very smart for people who resist concentration of power (and who understand the difference between their values and Obama’s) to choose other vehicles for their contributions. Volunteerism? Don’t make me laugh. […]

  5. Brian in MA
    January 26th, 2010 @ 4:47 pm

    The original purpose of Unions – to protect the workers from exploitation by evil capitalists – is clearly irrelevant in the public sector. Once the Unions start supporting one candidate over another, a clear conflict of interest is established. I don’t see how we can continue to allow public employees to organize. It’s not a God-given right, to (mis)quote Barney Frank.

  6. Brian in MA
    January 26th, 2010 @ 4:47 pm

    The original purpose of Unions – to protect the workers from exploitation by evil capitalists – is clearly irrelevant in the public sector. Once the Unions start supporting one candidate over another, a clear conflict of interest is established. I don’t see how we can continue to allow public employees to organize. It’s not a God-given right, to (mis)quote Barney Frank.

  7. Brian in MA
    January 26th, 2010 @ 11:47 am

    The original purpose of Unions – to protect the workers from exploitation by evil capitalists – is clearly irrelevant in the public sector. Once the Unions start supporting one candidate over another, a clear conflict of interest is established. I don’t see how we can continue to allow public employees to organize. It’s not a God-given right, to (mis)quote Barney Frank.

  8. Old Grouch
    January 26th, 2010 @ 6:43 pm

    A politician running for office on the campaign promise of load-shedding public-sector unions would find a welcome audience.

    Note the results of this January 20 poll in New Jersey:

    [Incoming] Gov. Christopher Christie enters office with a 33%-27% approval rating and a go-ahead to cut state spending, layoff state workers and freeze their salaries, and continue his fight on corruption, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today [January 20].
    …
    By a 58%-35% margin, New Jerseyans support layoffs or furloughs of state workers. In union households, the total is 50%-44%. Freezing wages for state works also gets statewide support, 71%-23%, including 62%-38% among union households and 64%-30% among Democrats.

  9. Old Grouch
    January 26th, 2010 @ 6:43 pm

    A politician running for office on the campaign promise of load-shedding public-sector unions would find a welcome audience.

    Note the results of this January 20 poll in New Jersey:

    [Incoming] Gov. Christopher Christie enters office with a 33%-27% approval rating and a go-ahead to cut state spending, layoff state workers and freeze their salaries, and continue his fight on corruption, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today [January 20].
    …
    By a 58%-35% margin, New Jerseyans support layoffs or furloughs of state workers. In union households, the total is 50%-44%. Freezing wages for state works also gets statewide support, 71%-23%, including 62%-38% among union households and 64%-30% among Democrats.

  10. Old Grouch
    January 26th, 2010 @ 1:43 pm

    A politician running for office on the campaign promise of load-shedding public-sector unions would find a welcome audience.

    Note the results of this January 20 poll in New Jersey:

    [Incoming] Gov. Christopher Christie enters office with a 33%-27% approval rating and a go-ahead to cut state spending, layoff state workers and freeze their salaries, and continue his fight on corruption, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today [January 20].
    …
    By a 58%-35% margin, New Jerseyans support layoffs or furloughs of state workers. In union households, the total is 50%-44%. Freezing wages for state works also gets statewide support, 71%-23%, including 62%-38% among union households and 64%-30% among Democrats.

  11. Robert Stacy McCain
    January 26th, 2010 @ 11:28 pm

    Excellent work, Smitty!

  12. Robert Stacy McCain
    January 26th, 2010 @ 11:28 pm

    Excellent work, Smitty!

  13. Robert Stacy McCain
    January 26th, 2010 @ 6:28 pm

    Excellent work, Smitty!